Inevitable
by LinariteLavanya
Summary: Zoe and her twin brother Ezra have been on the run for years. As witch-werewolf hybrids cursed to immortality, they've made some dangerous enemies that they are desperate to avoid. They flee to New Orleans, hoping to disappear among the supernatual community there. But there are beings of terrifying power in the Big Easy, too, and the twins soon learn that they can't run forever.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Wow, I am...a terrible person. You'd think I'd have learned my lesson, and stick with the overload of fic-writing I _already_ have, but...here we are again, following the plot bunnies down the trail into the unknown. XD This time, we've got an Originals fic that's been knocking around in my head for a little while. I don't want to overthink it too much, so I figured "let's just go for it". So...here we are. ;) **

**Hope you guys enjoy the first installment, and please review when you're done reading! I love hearing from you all, and input from readers really is helpful. :) **

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><p><strong>Chapter 1<strong>

"_**Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional."**_

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><p>The truck made a clunking wheezing sound as we pulled to a stop outside the motel, the engine sputtering like it was on its deathbed. I eyed the dashboard warily, expecting some sort of warning light to flash. When nothing happened, I glanced over at my brother, who was focused on the tourist pamphlet we'd picked up at the last gas station.<p>

He noticed my gaze on him after a moment and gave me in innocent look. "What?"

"This thing's about to have some sort of mechanical seizure, that's what."

Ezra rolled his eyes. "You worry too much, Zoe. It got us here from Baltimore, didn't it?"

"Yeah..." I admitted. "But that's a long way to go for any vehicle, much less one this...vintage. Besides, it was hardly a straight shot from there to here." Various detours and backtracks had turned a thousand-mile trip into something closer to fifteen hundred. And as much as I loved my twin, that much quality time together was more than enough. "Thank God we're finally here," I muttered.

"New Orleans," Ezra said with a little too much enthusiasm as he flipped through the guide book. "Also called Crescent City, the Big Easy...famous for beignets, jambalaya, gumbo, and the ever popular red beans and rice."

"We're not here for the food," I said with a sigh, pulling the keys out of the ignition then frowning as the truck continued to chug for several moments before shutting off with a painful rattle. "I'd really love to find another car, Ez."

"Just as soon as you find a job to pay for it," my brother replied evenly. "You know our savings account is almost empty; we can't afford any more hefty expenses."

"A car that isn't a ticking time bomb is an expense I'm willing to pay for," I remarked.

"So get a job," he repeated, turning another page in his book. "Aha! They say the French Quarter is a pretty chill place to hang out. We should check it out."

"Absolutely not." I shook my head. "We came here to blend in, remember? Not draw attention."  
>"So?"<br>"So, you've heard the same rumors I have about the French Quarter. And waltzing into the one part of town that's full to bursting with witches is probably not such a good idea. You remember how Seattle went," I added darkly. "I'd like to avoid a repeat performance."

He sighed, mood sobering. "Look, Zoe, I know things haven't been easy these last couple years..."

"That's such an understatement I don't even know what to say."

"...but this time's different. I can feel it," he added earnestly as he saw my skeptical look. "I know you're leery of trusting gut instinct and all that shit, but something about this place feels _right._ Don't you feel it?"

I tilted my head for a moment, assessing my feelings. And...yeah, nope. "The only thing I'm feeling right now is sleep-deprivation," I told my brother curtly. "So let's just grab our bags and turn in for the night, okay? We'll figure out the rest in the morning."

He stared at me for a moment, frowning slightly, then relented with a shrug. "Fine," he said, shouldering his door open and stepping out. "I'll go grab the room keys from the desk clerk."

"Thanks," I said absently as I craned around in my seat to snag my duffel bag.

I pulled it into my lap and rummaged around until I found what I was looking for. It was a small photo album, just a couple inches thick and a hand-span wide and tall. It was looking a little worse for wear, but tattered or not it was absolutely precious to me. The contents were all I had to remember my family by, the images inside the only ones remaining of my mother, of my father, of me and Ezra as kids...of all four of us together, as a family.

I had one single picture of my mother's brother, but hadn't kept it for any sentimental purpose. It was simply so that my brother and I would never forget the face of the bastard who'd betrayed us so brutally and torn our family apart. He was still out there somewhere, and we needed to be ready for his next move.

From the information I'd managed to glean from various sources, I'd determined that he'd ceased doing his own dirty work years ago, a hypopthesis supported by the fact he hadn't come after us in person in quite some time. Which didn't mean we were safe, far from it. The assassins he'd hired continued to pursue us with increasing vigor, and would continue to do so until he either rescinded the bounty or pursuing myself and Ezra became too dangerous for them. And while me and my brother had managed to knock off more than a fair number of those who'd come after us, I doubted it would be enough to dissuade a heartless band of magical mercenaries. Our luck was just not that good.

And while my brother and I couldn't be killed because of the curse he'd placed upon us, life on the run to avoid endless torture and suffering was definitely not ideal.

For the thousandth time, I wished upon my uncle a terrible death followed by a roasty stint in Hell. This whole blood-soaked mess was all his fault. From beginning to end, all the death, all the pain, all the fear, could be laid at his doorstep.

Just because his precious baby sister Rina, our mother, had married a werewolf, our father Lucas. Sure, it was taboo, especially for a nice woman from a powerful witch bloodline, but really now. Cursing your sister's half-breed children to immortality so you could torture them and watch as their mother suffered for their pain? That was just sick, in so many ways.

Dear Uncle Reginald's vendetta had since claimed both Lucas and Rina's lives, leaving me and Ezra as the last of our family. And being ageless and nigh-immortal, it seemed like we'd be around for some time yet. Provided our thrice-cursed uncle didn't find us first. I was pretty sure he'd find some sort of loophole that could enable him to slaughter us if he really put his mind to it, and as much as I hated my life I refused to meet my end at _his_ hands.

I was startled from my reminiscing as Ezra thumped on the driver-side window. "You gonna sit in there all night or what?" he demanded, dangling the keys to the motel room.

"Hell, no." I stuffed the album back into my bag and stepped out of the car, taking a deep breath of the fresh night air. "Which room are we in?"

"Twelve," he replied, gesturing vaguely in what I assumed was the direction of our room. We'd begun staying in a single room together just a few weeks ago, when we'd finally realized that _constantly moving + no consistent work = serious cash flow problems. _Staying in one room instead of two was an easy thing we could do to save a little cash, and for the most part we could manage cohabitation easily. Being half werewolf tended to make tempers run a little high but we'd managed well-enough in the twenty-something years we'd been on the run together. I wasn't sure if we'd both stay in one piece if another few decades went by like this, but I tried not to dwell on such morbid things if I could help it.

I was pushing forty, looked about twenty, had a psychotic uncle who wanted to torture and kill me, and had a loving twin brother in the exact same situation. Our lives sucked big-time, but it could be worse; I could be alone. But so long as I had my brother, everything would be fine.

We entered our motel room and after double and triple-checking to make sure all windows and doors were secure (there was no telling when one of Reginald's little murderers-for-hire would try to make a move), we collapsed into their beds and fell asleep.

Tomorrow would be the first day of our future here in New Orleans, and I wanted to be well-rested for whatever might happen, good or ill.

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><p><strong>AN: So, that was the first chapter. What did you think?**

**I know it might have been more dramatic to save some of that background for later chapters, but after some reflection I decided to get at least the basics out of the way now; we still have The Originals plot to deal with in addition to the one that'll come into play for Zoe and Ezra, and I didn't want to have a massive infodump all at once later on. I'll do my best to merge the two plotlines together smoothly, of course, but I wanted the readers to know what's going on with the twins so you understand why she (Zoe) reacts the way she does to certain things (like, for example, meeting the eponymous Originals and so forth). **

**Anyhoo, I hope you guys liked this first chapter. No Elijah, Klaus, or Rebekah yet, but they're coming soon, I promise. ;)**  
><strong>I should have the second chapter done pretty soon; if all goes well, I should have it up within a week. :D <strong>

**So pretty please review; reviews always make me super happy, and as I said before, feedback really does help me out immensely. **


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: So...hi! Welcome to the second chapter of Inevitable. Thanks for coming. :D**

**This chapter is actually a little shorter than the last one (sorry!) but actually _felt_ longer as I was typing it up. Weird, right? Anyway, hope you ejoy the latest installment of Inevitable. Pretty please review when you're done reading!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 2<strong>

**"Our destiny is frequently met in the very paths we take to avoid it." **

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><p>I woke up the next morning to find the sun shining, the birds singing, and my brother gone.<p>

Which was annoying but not, I had to admit, unexpected. Ezra had always had a tendency to go off on his own without warning once we arrived in a new place, though usually not _quite_ so soon. We'd literally just arrived the night before after all. Would it really have killed him to wait for me? Seriously.

Although truth be told, I couldn't really blame him. Our stint in Baltimore had been much rougher on him in the end than me, and though he was good at hiding it I could tell he was still hurting over what had happened there. He hadn't gotten over it by any stretch of the imagination, and his erratic behavior was becoming a little more noticeable with each passing day, with mood swings and suddenly "needing some space".

Not that I would have handled his situation any better had it happened to me. Having your heart ripped out by someone you'd thought had loved you was definitely a good qualification for needing space. Since I loved my brother and hated to see him hurting, I was trying hard to not overreact when he did things like this.

Which didn't necessarily mean I was happy at being ditched at a cheap ass no-tell motel in a strange city. It just meant that the odds of smacking my twin hard upside the head went down slightly. Very, very slightly. Maybe.

I showered and changed and used my battered Toshiba laptop to take advantage of the motel's spotty wi-fi service while I waited for my brother's return; since he'd taken the truck, I had no way to leave the motel even if I'd wanted to. In the meantime, I could put my time into doing something more productive than shouting obscenities at a twin who wasn't here to hear them.

I scrolled through page after page of apartment listings, trying to find something that would work for us. Our plan was to take refuge here, and hopefully stay here for a good long while; the moving from place to place every few months thing was getting pretty old for both of us. So, we needed an apartment. Something private, but not too isolated. Small, but big enough so we each had plenty of space. Two bedrooms, because after such a long stretch of close quarters living we could both do with some privacy. We may be brother and sister, but there really was such a thing as too close in some situations. I'd seen more of my brother in the years we'd been traveling together than any sister should have to see. Ever. I'd have scratched my own eyes out at times if I wasn't so sure they wouldn't have just healed back to normal again afterward.

So, yeah, an apartment. Finding a good one shouldn't be too hard, right? Wrong.  
>I became increasingly frustrated as I went through the listings, as good options decreased while the corresponding prices just kept on going higher. The Big Easy, as a hot tourist spot all year long, had some of the most outrageous rental prices I'd ever seen. Which was saying something, since me and my brother had been moving all over North America for the better part of two decades, giving me a fairly sizable well of experience to draw from.<p>

I was truly one step away from screaming in total frustration and smashing my computer into smithereens when my wayward brother finally returned. _About damn time, _I thought irritably. I opened my mouth to snap at him for bailing on me without leaving so much as a note, then stopped as I saw the serious expression on his face.

"What's wrong?" I asked, frowning.

He ran a hand through his hair. "I went to check out the French Quarter," he admitted after a moment of tense silence.

I was not thrilled to hear that, but held back from scolding him. "And?"

"A witch was killed today. Executed."

I shot up out of my seat in alarm. "What?"

He nodded glumly. "Yeah. They're holding a vigil for her in a few hours."

"Who killed her?" I asked, anxious. People died and were killed every day, all over the world, she knew that. It happened everywhere, no matter what city you were in. But this...a dead witch the day after we pull into town? I knew logically it had nothing to do with me or my brother, but it certainly wasn't a good omen.

"I don't know," Ezra said, shaking his head. "People don't like talking to strangers, and I didn't want to draw too much attention to myself so I didn't stick around too long to ask questions. We can go back and snoop around a little more though, if you want. I don't think we'll get much, but it might be worth a shot."

I bit my lip, unsure. On one hand, it would be stupid to go out and get involved in something that didn't concern us. On the other hand...if someone was killing witches, we needed to know more. Our mother had been a witch after all, and witch's blood ran in our veins. If New Orleans was no longer safe for witches, we'd need to know it sooner rather than later. "Yeah, let's go." I closed my laptop and grabbed my jacket.

As Ezra led the way back out to the truck, I wondered if coming to New Orleans had been a bad idea after all. We'd heard rumors over the years, nothing super specific, just that the Big Easy was home to all manner of supernatural entities. Vampires, werewolves, witches. Ezra and I had figured that such a lively bustling city with so much variety would be the perfect place to hide from their enemies.

But if the situation here had somehow changed (and it was looking like it had), this city might not be the safe haven I'd envisioned it to be. Which would be unspeakably disappointing. I was so sick of running. Of hiding, and living in fear. I'd seriously looked forward to settling down here, at least for a little while.

A confrontation with my uncle was inevitable in the end, I knew that with great certainty. But I was totally willing to put it off for as long as possible. And I'd hoped to find a modicum of peace and normalcy before that hopefully far-distant day.

But from the way things were going, it seemed like I would not find that peace in New Orleans after all.

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><p><strong>AN: Yes, yes, I know, it was too short. Sorry. So very, very sorry. XD Seriously, though it really did feel longer as I was writing it. Maybe because I was doing Chapter 3 at the same? Well, whatever the reason, I _am_ sorry for the brevity of this chapter. And for the fact that there's still no Elijah. XD But rest assured, he turns up in the next chapter, promise. I also promise to try and make the chapters a little bit longer in the future. **

**Anyway, _please_ review! Reviews make me happy, and I write faster and with better quality when I'm happy. And might even update more frequently. ;)**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hi guys! It's me again, LinariteLavanya (also called Lulu). Thanks for your continued support for Inevitable. I appreciate your patronage greatly. :D As promised, I have a longer chapter for you this time!**

**Anyway, this is the chapter you've all been waiting for: Zoe meets Elijah for the first time! Yay! Of course, it's not instant love. Because where's the fun in that? XD But kidding aside, I do hope you enjoy seeing their first bit of interaction. Enjoy!**

**And review, please. Reviews make me happy, and it's not that hard to drop a couple words in that nice little box at the bottom of the page. It's not scary like going to the dentist guys, come on. ;)**

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><p><strong>Chapter 3<strong>

**"Nothing in this world happens by chance."**

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><p>Ezra and I split up once we got to the French Quarter, to cover more ground with our investigating. Not that people were eager to tell us much; they were mourning, and we were strangers. We did manage to gather some information though, and regrouped on a street corner not far from where the vigil for the murdered witch was set to begin in a handful of minutes.<p>

"The witch's name was Jane-Anne Deveraux," my brother told me. "She was killed for doing magic."

I stared at him, not sure I'd heard that right. "A witch was executed...for doing magic?" I repeated in disbelief. "That's like killing a fish for swimming, or a bird for flying." Basically, stupid. Witches did magic. Duh. That's just how it was, like how vampires drank blood and werewolves changed form every full moon.

Not that my brother and I were forced to chance once-monthly like regular wolves. Our witch blood seemed to have altered our werewolf condition somewhat; we could shift at will any time, regardless of the moon phases, and had much more control over our wolf forms than our full-blooded werewolf brethren.

"Apparently," Ezra went on, "witches are now forbidden from practicing their arts."

"Forbidden?" I scowled. "By who?"

"The vampire king of New Orleans," Ezra said dryly. "Some guy named Marcel. Word is he also ran the werewolves out of town. They're living like savages out in the bayou now."

Okay, this was so not good. "We're not staying here," I said, turning on my heel and marching through the crowd that had gathered to mourn the Deveraux woman.

"But we just got here!" my brother protested, hurrying after me. "Give it a week, at least!"

"No," I snapped. "We're leaving." Staying in a city where both witches and wolves were persecuted was nothing short of insane, and I was not in a suicidal mood today, immortality or no.

I was so focused on getting the hell out of the area that I wasn't watching where I was going. I turned my head to tell Ezra to keep up, and the next thing I knew I was crashing into someone.

A very solid someone, who didn't really seem to budge as I stumbled sideways, dazed.

The stranger's hand shot out, grabbing my elbow and steadying me as I flailed. "You seem to be in something of a rush," he remarked, smooth voice laced with a hint of amusement.

I glanced at his face and was embarrassed as my heart rate picked up. But not _too_ embarrassed, because he _was_ ridiculously handsome; sexy enough to make any red-blooded woman swoon.

He had dark hair, dark eyes, and the face and body of a male model. Add in the fact he was dressed in a designer suit? Hello, handsome.

But the wolf in me was getting twitchy with having him so close; something about this guy was setting off little alarm bells in my head, and while I couldn't pinpoint the source of my unease, I decided to trust my instincts. I took a careful step back from the handsome stranger.

"My apologies," he said, seeming to pick up on my unease. "I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."

"No, it's fine, I'm the one who crashed into you. Sorry about that, by the way, Mr...?"

"Mikaelson," he supplied with a faint smile. "Elijah Mikaelson."

The name sounded vaguely familiar, like something I'd heard somewhere and shouldn't have forgotten, but no matter how hard I racked my brain I couldn't seem to remember what it was. I decided not to worry about it; I'd likely never see this guy again. "Well, sorry for slamming into you, Elijah Mikaelson. If you'll excuse me, I need to be going." I took another step back, looking around for my brother, who seemed to have vanished into thin air.

"Did you know her?" Elijah asked suddenly.

I stared at him in confusion. "Know who?"

"The Deveraux girl. Jane-Anne."

I had the nagging feeling that there was more to his question than his easy tone would suggest. Since I had no idea what was going on in this city, I wasn't sure how to answer. I didn't want to accidentally embroil myself in a supernatural turf war. I had enough shit to deal with already.

In the end, I opted for honesty. More or less. "No, I never met her," I replied, and that was the truth. "My brother and I just got into town last night." Also truth. "We heard about her death on the news, and just felt so bad that we wanted to come pay our respects." Half-truth? Well, no, that last one was pretty much a white lie. We hadn't exactly heard about it on the news, and paying respects to the murdered witch hadn't really been our reason for coming down to the Quarter, though Ezra and I did feel badly for the loss of life.

"Well, you'll have difficulty paying your respects," Elijah remarked. "Since the body was stolen a few hours ago."

I turned around too stare at him, too shocked by this news to mask my expression. "Stolen? By who?"

"Marcellus," he replied, tone severe.

Marcellus? Who... "Marcel," I realized. "Vampire king." I hadn't realized that I'd said that last bit out loud until I saw Elijah staring at me, expression inscrutable.

"What is it?" I asked warily, taking another step back as my hand drifted towards the dagger hidden in my jacket. If he was something inhuman, as I was beginning to suspect, it really wouldn't do much to harm him. But it would still _hurt _him, and causing him pain might buy me enough time to get away. Maybe.

"Who are you?"he asked, looking at me intently.  
>Too intently, in fact. I realized that he was trying to compel me. Something that my brother and I had discovered to be ineffective on us. We couldn't be compelled, and I'd never worked out how to pretend it was working on me. Which also meant I couldn't fake it now, unfortunately. The plus side was that now I knew what he was: a vampire. A powerful one, if the vibes he was giving off were any indication. The serious downside was that I'd inadvertently garnered the attention of a powerful vampire. Yay me.<p>

I decided to act stupid in the hopes of losing his interest quickly. "Me? I'm Zoe." I gave him a bright smile.

His eyes narrowed. "Not what I meant. Who are you?"

I gave him an innocently confused look. "I told you already, my name's Zoe. MY brother and I are visiting New Orleans for a little bit." A very little bit. If I had my way we'd be on the road by nightfall, destination: anywhere but here.

I turned to go, but his hand shot out to grab me by the elbow, this time his grip not so gentle.  
>"Maybe I'm not making myself clear enough," he said, his tone dipping dangerously low. "Allow me to rephrase: <em>what<em> are you?"

I tensed, contemplating the logistics of breaking free. On one hand, he was very strong, probably stronger than I was. On the other hand, I didn't think he actually wanted to hurt me; if he meant me serious harm I'd already be in little bloody pieces on the ground. Which left me with a handful of increasingly iditioc options.

I could tell him a lie and hope he bought it; the downside for that being that if I told him a lie and he didn't believe it he might try to kill me.  
>I could tell him the truth. I wasn't fond of that idea, either, because he would either a) believe me and try to kill me for being an abomination or b) think I was lying and try to kill me for that.<p>

I could try breaking free and running away, but truthfully I doubted I would get very far; I was quick on my feet, but vampire super-speed is whole other level of fast. And if I pissed him off by running, he might try to kill me for _that._

As my mind churned out increasingly ludicrous ideas, I scanned the crowd for Ezra. Where the _hell_ was my brother? It was like he'd up and disappeared from the face of the Earth. And his timing could not have been worse. If there was ever a time I needed some brotherly assistance, it would totally be now.

"Well?" Elijah demanded, his grip tightening ever so slightly, bringing what had previously been just discomfort up a level to something closer to pain.  
>Which set off the wolf in me, the wildness in my blood rising up more suddenly than I was used to, eclipsing my growing anxiety. "I"m complicated," I growled, meeting his dark gaze without flinching. "Let me go. <em><strong>Now.<strong>_"

He seemed startled by my sudden change in attitude, and released me, more out of surprise than anything, I think. I knew my eyes weren't glowing gold like they sometimes did when my wolf surged (I could sense it when my eyes _did _change) but something in my appearance must have been strange, because he continued to stare at me, his expression both puzzled and intrigued. "What are you?" he asked again, his tone this time more curious than hostile.

The wildness in me receded as the threat from him diminished. But I still gave the same answer. "Complicated," I replied evenly, straightening my jacket sleeve where he'd crinkled it.

He opened his mouth to say something more, but the interruption I'd been praying for cut him off.

"Zoe!"

I spun around, grateful beyond words to see my brother shoving through the crowd to get to me.  
>"Ezra," I exclaimed in relief, reaching out for him without quite meaning to; it was an instinctive thing, needing physical comfort from my twin.<p>

He grabbed my hand as soon as he got close enough, pulling me into a tight hug. Then he released me, turning a death glare on Elijah, who was watching us with the inscrutable look on his face. "Stop harassing my sister," Ezra said, his voice almost a growl but not quite. I doubt Elijah was impressed, but I was warmed by my brother's over-protectiveness. Not that he was wrong to be protective of me; I was out of my depth with this vampire, and we all knew it.

Not that Elijah could actually _kill_ me (I _was_ immortal, after all) but getting hurt still hurts, and if he gave me a fatal injury and I didn't die? Well, that would raise a whole other slew of questions. Difficult, awkward and all around unpleasant questions, like "_hey, why aren't you dying?_" and "_Cursed to immortality? How does that happen?_". And my personal favorite: "_how rich will I be if I tip off your psychotic uncle that you're here?_"

Take it from me, that's a conversation best avoided.

Which made it priority number one for me and my brother to get away from this handsome vampire before he started asking more questions I couldn't answer.

"It was nice meeting you," I said to Elijah, and was surprised to realize that it didn't actually _feel_ like a lie to me. Weird.  
>He arched an eyebrow, clearly not believing me, but nodded. "I"m sure we'll run into each other again."<br>_Don't count on it, buddy,_ I thought. I had every intention of being well outside the city limits as soon as humanly possible. But he didn't need to know that, so I pasted a smile on my face, said "Sure," and proceeded to drag my brother behind me as I fled to the safety of our old battered truck.

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><p><strong>AN: Sooooooooo...what did you guys think? Please let me know, because I really do want to know what you think of this chapter. It's our first Elijah & Zoe moment, after all. ;) So just send me some feedback, pretty please: What do you think of Zoe? Of Ezra? Did I write Elijah okay? Is his attitude believable? Are you looking forward to seeing more Elijah & Zoe moments? Or would you rather I pick up the pace of the plot? Any feedback at all would make me very, very happy. :)**

**Anyway, stay tuned for the next update! It's going to be a short chapter from Elijah's perspective, so that should be super fun. :D See you next time!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: First of all, I want to say thanks to all you wonderful readers! Thanks for the reviews/favorites/follows and so forth. You guys rock!**  
><strong>Now, as promised, this chapter is from Elijah's perspective. It's a pretty short chapter, but worth it in the end, I think. ;) Review and let me know what you think, please!<strong>

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><p><strong>Chapter 4<strong>

**"There's no limit to how complicated things can get, on account of one thing always leading to another."**

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><p>Elijah watched the strange woman (Zoe, she'd called herself) as she left with her brother. He wasn't sure what to make of her, and not just because she'd been immune to his compulsion, something that was virtually impossible.<p>

With dark brown hair that fell to her waist in thick lush waves and enchanting forest green eyes, there was just something about her that piqued his interest. Which was interesting in and of itself, since women in general didn't really capture his attention lately; he was too preoccupied with other things. Like his brother Niklaus, his brother's ex-lover who was impossibly pregnant, the witches who were holding said pregnant girl as leverage to convince him to help dethrone Marcel who -oh what a coincidence- had been turned into a vampire by Klaus himself years and years ago.

It all came back to his little brother one way or another, and as much as Elijah loved Niklaus, there were times like these where he'd love nothing more than to throttle the hybrid for the complications he was causing for all of them.

Complications...Hmmm. Zoe had described herself that way, "complicated." Since he'd been unable to even identify what she actually _was_, he couldn't help but agree.

There had been a hum of power around her that had made him think she was a witch of some sort at first, but when he'd caught a whiff of her scent as he'd grabbed her he hadn't been able to detect the telltale tang of witchcraft. Instead, her scent was something he wouldn't have expected, an interesting combination of strawberries and cream, a delicate scent for someone who certainly didn't make him think "delicate" when he looked at her. Slender, suspicious, and skittish were more what came to mind, although she certainly hadn't been timid or fearful when she'd demanded he release her; she'd almost looked a little feral as she'd snapped at him, her expression almost reminding him of Klaus when his brother got especially prickly about Elijah's hovering.

Yes, complicated was an apt description. If he didn't have to deal with his brother and the witches and Marcel _and_ Hayley, he might have followed after Zoe and her brother just to satisfy his curiosity.

As it was, his obligations to his brother and the pregnant werewolf girl came first, so he shifted his attention back to the task at hand: figuring out what exactly Jane-Anne Deveraux had been doing before Marcel's vampires had caught up with her. He knew better than to trust Jane-Anne's sister Sophie for the truth; the girl was far from neutral in this situation, and witches could be just a manipulative as anyone else. So he'd have to find out for himself what exactly was going on in New Orleans.

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><p><strong>AN: Okay, so it was a _really_ short chapter this time, sorry. But it _was_ our first glimpse of Elijah's P.O.V. So I hoped you all enjoyed it. :D Most of the story will probably be from Zoe's perspective (she is the main character, after all), but I think it'll be helpful to have the viewpoints of other characters at certain points. Probably Elijah more than anyone else, though we might get some from Ezra's viewpoint, and some from the other Mikaelson siblings as they show up. :D**

**Anyway, hope you enjoyed this little chapter! Review, pretty please, and let me know what you thought of it! :D**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Hi, everybody! I just wanted to say thanks to all of you, for being so wonderful and reading this story! Thank you for your favorites/follows and reviews! THhey mean the world to me; I'm glad you guys are enjoying the story so far. **

**In any case, here's the fifth chapter of Zoe's story. Hope you enjoy! (And please review! :D )**

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><p><strong>Chapter 5<strong>

**"What one needs to do at every moment of one's life is to put an end to the old world and to begin a new world. "**

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><p>I relaxed in my seat as Ezra drove us back to the motel. Putting distance between us and the inquisitive well-dressed vampire was lowering my blood pressure nicely. Then my <em>brother <em>started asking questions.

"So," he prompted, "who was that?"  
>I gave an indifferent shrug, hoping he'd drop the subject if it seemed like I didn't care. "Some vampire. He was asking questions about Jane-Anne."<br>Ezra slanted me a look that said he wasn't buying my act. "Did he have a name, this vampire?"  
>"Elijah something-or-other," I answered absently, suddenly distracted by my phone vibrating in my pocket; no one but my brother had the number and he was clearly not calling me, so who could it be? I fumbled in my pocket, trying to pull it out.<p>

"Elijah something-or-other?" my brother repeated, arching an eyebrow. "You didn't catch a last name?"  
>"I wasn't really paying attention," I admitted, still distracted with extracting my phone from an absurdly deep pocket. "I think it was Mitchell or Michaels or something like that."<p>

Ezra slammed on the brakes so hard I jerked forward then crashed back in my seat, my neck cracking from the sudden whiplash. My phone, finally retrieved, went flying out of my hads to tubmle to the floor. "Dude, what the hell?" I demanded.

"Mikaelson," he said flatly. "Elijah...Mikaelson?"

"Yeah, I guess so." I yanked at my seat belt, which was taking its job way too seriously and not letting me move an inch for safety's sake. "Stupid child-safety deathtrap," I muttered, trying and failing to get more slack.  
>"Zoe," my brother snapped, his tone frustrated. "Focus, please. Are you sure it was Mikaelson?"<p>

"Yes, yes, I'm sure. Elijah Mikaelson."

Ezra groaned, the sound so heartfelt that I stopped my seat belt struggles and turned ot stare at him. "What's wrong?" I asked.  
>He looked at me. "You're kidding, right?"<br>"I tend to smile when I"m kidding, Ezra, so no, I'm not."  
>He rolled his eyes. "Mikaelson, Zoe. Don't tell me you don't know the name."<br>"It did sound familiar when he said it," I admitted, "But other than that..." I bit my lip, starting to feel anxious. "Why are you acting this way? Is he someone important, or something?"

"Oh, not really, " my brother drawled sarcastically. "His family was only the first group of vampires ever created in all of history. Totally nothing major."  
>"Oh." Then it really hit me. "<em><strong>Oh.<strong>_" I started to feel the first stirrings of alarm. "He's an Original."  
>"The oldest of the surviving three, if the rumors are to be believed." Ezra put the truck back into drive and pulled back onto the road.<p>

I sat back in my seat, too shocked to say anything at first. "Well, crap," I said at last. "An _Original_? What's he doing here in New Orleans?"  
>Ezra shrugged. "I heard a rumor once from a wolf in New York that their family all but founded New Orleans."<br>I frowned. "If they founded it, why is this Marcel guy in charge?"  
>"Who the hell knows," he grumbled as we pulled into the motel parking lot. "Vampire politics, man."<p>

So...Mr.-Sexy-Suit-and-Tie was an Original. It might have been stupidly ignorant of me, but I didn't actually know that much about them. I knew the basics, of course: they were the first vampires ever, they couldn't be killed, and pissing them off was pretty much suicide.

That I'd gotten uppity with an Original made my stomach go sour; having done so without even _knowing_ that Elijah was an Original at the time just made the feeling worse.

I desperately hoped that we'd never cross paths again.

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><p><strong>AN: So...what do you think? Good, bad? Short, I know, and I'm sorry for that. It's sort of a transition chapter, to take us from 'oh, that vampire Elijah' to 'oh my freaking gosh, it's Elijah the Original!', you know? And as for never crossing paths with Elijah again...we all know she'll be seeing him again. ;) **

**Zoe, of course, doesn't really want to get involved with _anything_ after all the other stuff she and Ezra have been through (and for those of you wondering, yes, I will explain about Baltimore and other things about the twins eventually), but her plans don't really work out that way. Which, as you'll see in future chapters, is at least partially her own fault. XD **

**Anyway, have no fear about future updates/story abandonment. I just finished handwriting chapter 11, so the story will contue on at least until then. XD Presumably further, since I'm having so much fun. :D**

**Review please~**


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